In 2003, there were two population groupings, below 5,000 and between 5,000 and 10,000.

The writers admit "things like community spirit, cultural diversity, the availability of extraordinary local pizza and how well the roads get plowed every winter are not so easy to quantify."

They leave those qualities for their readers to decide.

In 2003, Sherman ranked fourth on "Connecticut Magazine's" the list of towns with populations below 5,000.

This year, Sherman, with 3,827 residents, tops the magazine's current list of 25 towns with a population between 3,500 and 6,500.

The town of Washington ranked eleventh on the list.

All the top ten towns had voter turnout in the November 2004 presidential election over 80 percent. Sherman's was 82.5 percent.

The article describes Sherman as "small and picturesque, with lots of frontage on Candlewood Lake."

Its isolation from main highways keeps the crime rate among the lowest in the state, according to the article, which also praises Sherman's school, the library, and the town's "healthy economy."

The writers said the leisure category in the small towns "relies very heavily" on local support for libraries. Sherman spends $38.45 per capita.

Sherman's median house price based on 2003 sales was $405,000, according to the article.

Norfolk, with a population of 1,660, topped "Connecticut Magazine's" list of the 27 towns in the state with populations fewer than 3,500.

But Roxbury (2,136) and Bridgewater (1,824) weren't far behind with their respective third and fifth rankings.

The article states that house prices are "high and climbing" in Roxbury and Bridgewater, "but a nicely evolved lifestyle and gorgeous views of fields and hills await those who can afford the freight."

The median price of a house is $491,000 in Roxbury and $283,000 in Bridgewater, according to the article.

Warren (1,254) ranked ninth, Goshen (2,697) was 10th and Kent was 18th among the smallest towns. Kent's population was not listed in the article but is estimated to be around 3,000.

The writers noted that Kent offers some shopping and restaurants compared to other towns of its size, "but for the most part these [towns] are places in which crickets and starry skies provide the night life."

No towns in the immediate area were ranked in the 6,500 to 10,000 population grouping of 22 towns topped by Redding and then Easton. Litchfield ranked fourth in that grouping, and Woodbury ranked eighth.

Voter turnout in this group of towns was over 80 percent in all but one of the towns, Litchfield (69.9 percent).

"Although 'Rating the Small Towns' is not meant to be the last word on any of the towns included," the article states, "it has served as a good starting point for lively local discussions (dare we say arguments?) and as a useful tool for those seeking comparisons with like-sized places around the state."

The median price of a house is considered a predictor of other local expenses and crime statistics are based on major crimes in 2000-02 per 1,000 population.

In the education category, test scores are weighted more heavily than other factors considered - the percentage of graduates heading to four-year colleges and the percentage of students who pass a physical fitness test.